Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Mullins grades D− overall, 165th among South Carolina's 167 graded towns, mostly because of safety and incomes. Its police reported 63 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 99% of U.S. towns. The median household income is $35K, and 38% of residents live below the poverty line. It also has a long history, with 8 places on the National Register. 38% of residents live below the poverty line in Mullins, above both the South Carolina town median (17%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). Its National Register listings include Imperial Tobacco Company Building and Liberty Warehouse. Residents are less healthy than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates.
Where Mullins beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 242 in 1890, a peak of 6,229 in 1960, 4,026 in 2020. The archive holds 16 old photos and papers going back to 1900 and 2 maps from 1946 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within South Carolina), ordered by how far Mullins is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Mullins, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Sep 12, 2025.
Ordered by what stands out in Mullins.
Mullins is healthier than towns with similar incomes, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the South Carolina rate and carries more natural-hazard risk than most of South Carolina (mostly hurricanes).
Violent crime runs at 16.6 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the South Carolina rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. At 109.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 83% of South Carolina’s graded towns. Reported crimes rose from 211 to 282 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Mullins is 16.6 per 1,000 residents. Among 90 South Carolina towns, just 3 have a higher property crime rate than Mullins. Mullins reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 99% report less.
| Mullins | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 16.6 per 1,000 residents | 3.9 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 57.5 per 1,000 residents | 21.1 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Marion 10 school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Mullins High, with 557 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Mullins PrimaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 372 | – |
| Mullins HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 557 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within SC on state tests and graduation
Against the 1,236 U.S. towns with household incomes like Mullins’s, it is less healthy than 55%, so its D isn’t only a matter of income.
22% of Mullins adults have diabetes. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Mullins. 45% of Mullins adults have obesity.
| Mullins | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 15% | 12% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 51% | 40% | 35% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 21% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 15% | 16% |
| What stands out | Mullins | SC |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer binge drinkers | 10.8% | 15.7% |
| More adults getting a yearly checkup | 84.8% | 80.6% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 32.5% | 17.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical value, about $137K, is 11% below its August 2024 peak. The median property tax bill is $536, against $1,251 across South Carolina, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical Mullins home is worth about $137,000, down 1.7% in a year, 55% below the South Carolina typical home. 45% of households own their home in Mullins. Only 5 of the 166 South Carolina towns we compare have a lower median rent than Mullins.
| Mullins | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 45% | 65% | 73% |
| Median rent | $628 a month | $1,062 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of South Carolina towns; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Mullins’ FEMA risk score is 90 of 100. Since 1993, 13 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Mullins.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Dillon weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 63 days a year reach 90°: more than most of the country, but fewer than 82% of South Carolina places with climate records.
Mullins has mild winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 91°, January nights drop to 35° and snow is almost unheard of.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Mullins has about as many jobs (1,289) as working residents, but only 151 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 35.3 minutes, against 25.6 across South Carolina.
Most working residents leave Mullins for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Mullins grew to 1,289 in 2023, 270 more than in 2013. Among 169 South Carolina towns, just 4 have a higher average trip to work than Mullins.
| Mullins | South Carolina towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 24 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $35,000 | $57,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 6.1% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mary Lois Rutland Memorial Park | — | 5 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
None within 15 miles of Mullins; the nearest are
About 2 of every 100 Mullins residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across South Carolina.
4,663 counted in 2010 and 4,026 in 2020; an estimated 3,838 in 2025.
The decline has continued: down 4.8% since 2020, after 13.7% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
7 places in Mullins on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Mullins.
City in South Carolina, United States
Mullins is a city in Marion County, South Carolina, United States. As of the 2020 census, Mullins had a population of 4,026. Incorporated on March 4, 1872, Mullins was named after Col. William S. Mullins, who served as a representative for Marion County in the South Carolina State Legislature from 1852 to 1866.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Mullins grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns and #165 of 167 in South Carolina. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
That is 3.8 years of the area's median household income ($36,301 across the county). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
8 notable people were born here, including James Norton and John Lanneau McMillan.
